"Environmentalists say that clean coal is a myth. Of course it is: Just look at West Virginia, where whole Appalachian peaks have been knocked into valleys to get at the coal underneath and streams run orange with acidic water.

Or look at downtown Beijing, where the air these days is often thicker than in an airport smoking lounge. Air pollution in China, much of it from burning coal, is blamed for more than a million premature deaths a year. That’s on top of the thousands who die in mining accidents, in China and elsewhere."

National Geographic, the IPCC (Ingovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and comedian Robin William all seem to agree that 'clean coal' is as about as useful as a porous condom.

Image Source: Brian Ettling

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'Clean coal is a bit like a porous condom: at least the intention was good.' – comedian Robin Williams.